The Gift
by Vicki So
Summary: What do you buy for the man who can have anything but wants only one thing? Find out what Iroh's got in store for Zuko's 17th birthday! Continued by popular demand! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Avatar. But if Nick wants to hire me, I'm there!**

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"Uncle, where are you taking me?" Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation wanted desperately to take the itchy blindfold off, but his Uncle Iroh held his arms behind his back with a vice-like grip as he steered him through the town's busy streets. Passersby in the busy Earth Nation town glanced at the odd Fire Nation duo stumbling through the street and gave them a wide berth

"Calm yourself, Zuko," the old general rumbled. "We're almost there."

"Uncle, this had better be good. We got word that the Avatar—"

"The Avatar can wait, Prince Zuko. And this is much more important. Now watch your step." Iroh gently lead the teenage boy up a short flight of stairs to the grand porch of an even grander building. Two guards, both women in dark green armour, opened the double doors for the pair. Iroh noted that they each bore a gold signet indicating that they were trained Earthbenders. _Very impressive_, he thought as he pushed his nephew through the door.

"Uncle, I don't like being unawares like this. The Avatar could be anywhere at anytime." Zuko said through clenched teeth.

"Can't you stop thinking about the Avatar for just one moment of your young life?" Iroh huffed, irritated.

Zuko turned his head to one side. He was actually thinking about the answer. "No." He decided. "Now where are we? And what's that odd smell?"

Iroh smirked. He untied the cloth around the young man's eyes and whipped it off. "Ta-dah!" He presented with a flourish.

Zuko rubbed the spots from his eyes and looked around. They were standing in a wide front foyer twice the size of his spacious cabin on the ship. The floors were richly laid with dark cherry wood, waxed to a high polish. Large porcelain vases filled with exotic flowers stood in all four corners of the room. Sandalwood incense burned on a little altar near the door.

"Where have you brought me?" He asked.

Iroh beamed. "Happy birthday, Prince Zuko!" He grabbed the inner door handles and threw the huge doors open.

Sunlight filled the large open area beyond the doorway, a courtyard with a central flagstone square open to the blue sky. A little babbling fountain sat at its centre. Large satin sitting cushions were strewn haphazardly around. Looking up, Zuko could see the building was huge, with five floors ringing the central courtyard. Each ring was lined with intricately carved doors leading to other rooms and apartments. Archways lead to gardens behind the building, and Zuko could see these were masterfully kept, as was everything else in this beautiful palace.

He looked around. Dozens of richly dressed girls and young women moved about the main floor, coyly fanning themselves as they quietly spoke to each other. Young men, some of them dressed as lavishly as the women, lounged about on the cushions or on benches, lazily grooming themselves. There were other people here too: men from all over the world stood talking to some of the women, drinking tea and sake, or just gazing around, as if in search of something. They were young and old, handsome and ugly, but all of them looked well off, wearing military dress uniforms or fine silk robes.

If this were a surprise party, no one seemed to care the guest of honour had just arrived. The prince got a few curious glances, but the newcomers were left alone.

Zuko scowled at his uncle. He didn't enjoy celebrating his birthday. All it meant to him was another year he had not caught the Avatar. Another year as a dishonoured, banished prince.

Iroh ignored his nephew's glower and proceeded ahead of the teen. An older woman in a richly embroidered gold robe detached herself from a small group of women and gracefully rushed up to meet him.

"Iroh, it's good to see you again! Welcome back!" The woman leaned down, her long robe sleeves trailing on the ground, and pecked the Dragon of the West on each cheek. "I thought you'd be back much sooner."

"My apologies, Mai, but I have been very busy. Please, meet my nephew, Zuko."

Zuko noted with interest that his uncle had left out his royal honorific. Perhaps there was a security reason for it? He was instantly put on edge. As he bowed to the glittering gold woman, he took note of the number of guards in the room, discreetly tucked away in little niches in the wall like statues. They were all giving him suspicious sidelong glances.

"My, what a handsome young man," the woman purred, looking him up and down. Zuko snorted to himself and scowled, turning his face purposely to show the woman the horrible scar. She did not flinch.

"Today is his seventeenth birthday, and I want to give him something special." Iroh heartily patted his nephew's armoured back, a knowing look in his eye.

Zuko cocked his one eyebrow at the old man. There was only one thing he had ever asked for these past two plus years, and it was not something that could be bought.

The woman, Mai, looked thoughtfully at the young man, one hand propping her chin up while the other held her elbow. She measured him as though she were eyeballing him for a new suit, making hmming and hahing sounds. "I think I have just the thing. Please, have some refreshment and make yourselves comfortable." The gold woman glided away.

"Uncle, I don't need any birthday gifts. I need to get back to the ship and—"

"…And track down the Avatar so you can regain your honour, blah, blah, blah." Iroh finished for him, waving his hand dismissively. He snatched two tiny cups of sake from a passing servant's tray and shoved one into Zuko's hands. He toasted the prince and downed the thimbleful of steaming liquid in one gulp. The old general grasped his young nephew's shoulder and faced him.

"Zuko, you are becoming a man. A very strong, and very...uh, determined man. But you must have balance in your life." A genuine look of concern crossed his face. "As your guardian, I have a duty to protect and provide for you. And as my nephew, you have a duty to entertain an old man like me and put up with it!" He smiled mischievously, his cheeks a touch red from the alcohol.

Zuko had never seen his uncle quite so fiercely happy, and frankly, it made him nervous. He sipped the warm sake furtively. The liquid burned the Fire Prince's throat and warmed his belly, which was telling him increasingly that something wasn't right. His uncle fidgeted with his armour. He suddenly looked tense, but he brightened as Mai came gliding back across the courtyard.

The gold woman had three young ladies in tow. They looked like living dolls, their lips painted red, their lashes heavy with mascara, their silken skin faintly shimmering in the sun. They moved with graceful, tiny footsteps, and did not look into the men's eyes.

_Wait a minute_, Zuko's brain began to work. _Lavish building, rich looking men, bevies of beautiful girls, funny smells…_

Zuko suddenly realized where he was.

"YOU BROUGHT ME TO A BROTHEL?" He shouted at his uncle.

The din in the room died. The three girls look startled. Iroh tried to hide his reddening face in his wide sleeve.

"We prefer to call it a bordello," Mai said crisply, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. The ambient noise and conversations resumed. "This is an exclusive establishment for ladies and gentlemen of the upper classes. We're perfectly legal and legitimate. We train our ladies to please our customers with song, dance, refreshment and… whatever else they may require."

Zuko seethed, feeling the heat in at the tips of his ears. He yanked his uncle to one side. "Uncle, have you lost your mind?" He hissed. "This is no place for me! I'm a member of the royal family! Think of the scandal!"

"Really, do you think it stopped me?" Iroh asked, glancing at Mai.

Zuko shuddered. He did NOT want to think about his uncle doing… doing… _aw crud, too late_.

"Please gentlemen, let me introduce my ladies to you," Mai announced pleasantly. She presented the first, a girl in red robes with a bamboo print embroidered along the hem. Her straight licorice black hair flowed down her back, cascades of ebony framing a porcelain white face. "This is Kamani of the Fire Nation. She has been with us for three years, and is skilled with the mandolin."

Zuko raised an incredulous eyebrow. The girl didn't look much older than 16, but the pasty white make up could have made her look either younger or older. Kamani drew her fan away and looked briefly into his face, bowing lowly. He caught the briefest hint of fear in her eyes as they flickered over the scarred left side of his face. Her pursed red lips thinned as she dipped. He did not return the pleasantry and frowned at her deeply. She scuttled back.

If Madame Mai noticed his displeasure, she did not show it. She continued the introductions.

"This is Alana of the Earth Kingdom," the second girl stepped forward. She wore an emerald green one-piece linen dress that flared to the ground from her hips. Her long flaring sleeves dangled to the floor, her wrists jangling with gold bangles. She went through the same motions as Kamani, but this time, Zuko could see she was curious rather than afraid of him. She stepped back. "Alana is an excellent singer, and is very good at giving massages."

"Not a bad idea for my stressed-out nephew," Iroh commented. He had somehow managed to filch another tiny cup of sake, which he was relishing more slowly. Zuko suffered his uncle's colourful commentary and let the woman finish her presentation.

"And this," the third girl stepped boldly forward, "is Arujata of the Earth Kingdom. She had been with us for… what is it, five years now?"

The girl nodded once. She was almost as tall as Zuko, and looked like she could have taken him in a fight. Her silver-grey robe was slit up to her waist on both sides, and she wore tight matching leggings beneath. Her musculature showed through the thin material, and the Firebender was impressed, if not a little intimidated, by her warrior's physique. Regardless of her heft, Arujata managed to bow gracefully, and when she bobbed back up, she winked at him roguishly.

Zuko nearly blushed at this, mostly out of embarrassment. He felt oddly... _inadequate _next to Arujata.

"Oh, what lovely young ladies," Iroh said, clapping his hand together. He grabbed the sake cup out of Zuko's hands and downed what was left. "Zuko, choose your birthday gift."

"Wh-What?" Zuko spluttered.

"Any one of them. All three of them, if that's what you want. I don't mind splurging on my favourite nephew." Iroh grinned.

Zuko lost his temper. "I will NOT bed a whore!" He shouted.

The three girls gasped, in shame, in shock, and in indignation respectively. Out of the corner of his eye, Prince Zuko could see the guards shifting restlessly, coming to life out of their wall niches. Madame Mai glared daggers at the young Firebender and hastily shooed the girls away while simultaneously gesturing at the guards to hold their position. She faced the old general haughtily.

"Iroh, the only reason your nephew hasn't been _escorted _from the premises is because I enjoy your company. Please ask him to keep a _civil _tongue in my place of business," she said sharply without looking at Zuko. "I will see if any of my other ladies would care to be with _you _this afternoon, _hmm_?"

It was a threat to the old general, pure and simple. Iroh winced as she fluttered away. He whirled on his nephew.

"Are you happy now? You've humiliated me in front of Mai!"

"And you've humiliated me in front of the world!" Zuko shouted back. "Thanks _so _much for the birthday gift, uncle, but I'm heading back to the ship now."

The Fire Nation prince stalked toward the double doors. How could his uncle bring him to a place like this? What did he think he was going to accomplish? No woman would make a man out of him. Not until his honour had been restored, in any case, and there was only _one _way to do that.

"Zuko!" Iroh called angrily at his nephew's back. The prince turned to tell off the old man.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

It was that particular shade of blue that had caught his eye. Over his uncle's broad shoulders, Zuko could see the delicate profile of a young woman in sky blue silk, her auburn hair pinned up in an elaborate bun. She was quite young, maybe no older than 15, standing just off to the side of the courtyard, her face obscured by the shadows of an overhanging plant.

Zuko's stomach fluttered._ Katara…?_

And as though she felt him watching her, she slowly turned to gaze back at him with sparkling blue eyes.

It wasn't Katara, just someone who looked remarkably like her.

Zuko shook himself. Was he so love-struck that he was entirely blind? How could he have been so stupid to think the Water Tribe girl would be in a place like this?

_Maybe because you'd really like her to be_, his brain suggested darkly. And though he was disgusted with himself, he could not tear his gaze from the Waterbender's doppelganger.

He felt someone sidle up to him. "I see the young man _has _found something he likes," Madame Mai's voice came oily over his shoulder. "That's Sienna of the Northern Water Tribe. She only arrived here a few months ago, but she is a _very _sweet girl."

Zuko's mouth was dry. His heart ached in a way it hadn't for weeks. He thought the pain had finally released him, finally let him rest, but now it burned and soared and throbbed in agony all at once, pounding as though uttering her name using daggers for emphasis with each lub-dub. _Ka-ta-ra. Ka-ta-ra. Ka-ta-ra._

Iroh appeared at his elbow. He sighted along his nephew's stare and confirmed his deepest suspicions with a mental _hmm_. The old general clasped Zuko's elbow reassuringly.

Mai must have beckoned her over, because the girl was gliding toward them. Zuko watched helplessly as she elegantly crossed the court, her hair catching the golden sun so it made Zuko's amber eyes sparkle. She held his gaze steadily, not once looking away, until she stood within arms reach.

"Sienna, this is Zuko," Mai introduced her. "Today is his seventeenth birthday."

The girl smiled and dipped in a gentle curtsy. "Happy birthday, Zuko." She sang mellifluously.

The prince stared at the girl wordlessly, his thoughts churning wildly.

She had the look. She had the eyes.

She was smiling. She was willing.

She could be his.

And suddenly Zuko found himself standing at the edge of a gaping void. To take that one step would mean he'd lose... a great many things.

A strangled sound left his chest like vapour on the wind.

"Uncle…?" Zuko breathed slowly, uncertainly.

"It's all right, Zuko." Iroh said comfortingly. "It's all right."

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**TO BE CONCLUDED...?**

**And here's where you all get to hate me! I'm leaving the ending open to your ideas and what you truly believe should happen.**

**Here's the deal: review my story and tell me what happens next. If and when I get 100 reviews, I will post the results and the winning outcome(s). All suggestions are welcome!**

**I do, however, have a few rules: **

**1. Sienna is not Katara in disguise.  
2. Unless I get 100 per cent requests for porn, I am not going to write a sex scene.  
3. I'll accept just about any idea, but don't be surprised if it shows up in one of my later stories (I'm now accepting requests and challenges!)**

**You've all been great for my poor, battered ego. Thanks for reading!**

**Update on _Bent_: the story is taking longer to write than I thought. There's a lot I need to say to set up for future stories, but rest assured you shall see the first chapter soon.**

**Best wishes to ya! - Vicki So of the Earth Kingdom. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I got so many people decrying my request for 100 reviews on _The Gift_ that I decided to be kind and halve the number of requests. Curse you, democracy! The people have spoken!**

**At 50 reviews, I received requests that were all over the map, from elaborate multi-chapter stories, (including an awesome continuation written by Ambrant Arandel called _The Prince's Gift_) to brief synopses of what should happen. I divided the categories up into the most requested items. The votes were cast as follows:**

**Zuko spends the night but does nothing except talk with Sienna: 8  
Zuko does nothing with Sienna and/or leaves: 12  
Zuko nearly does something with Sienna (almost kisses, almost has sex): 7  
Zuko goes all the way with Sienna (request for lemon/lime): 8  
Zuko realizes how much he loves Katara: 13  
Katara (and gang) make an appearance: 11**

**So it looks like Zuko really does love Katara (would Zutarans proclaim anything else?) and everyone wants to make sure they end up together. But as this story comes after _Bent_, (now complete and online!) this'll all still have to fit in with the storyline, so, sorry folks, no Zutara lemon/lime for you!**

**Anyhow, here's how I figured it happened… hope you've all waited long enough!**

**Quick note: this story takes place after _Episode 16:_ _The Deserter _and before _Bent_. It doesn't take too much from my universe, but figures a little later on in the storyline and is briefly mentioned in _Captured! The Zutara Musical_. Just sit back and enjoy.**

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_When we last left Prince Zuko on his seventeenth birthday, he was faced with an awkward choice…_

_

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_She had the look. She had the eyes.

She was smiling. She was willing.

She could be his.

And suddenly Zuko found himself standing at the edge of a gaping void. To take that one step would mean he'd lose... a great many things.

A strangled sound left his chest like vapour on the wind.

"Uncle…?" Zuko breathed slowly, uncertainly.

"It's all right, Zuko." Iroh said comfortingly. "It's all right."

"Come, Zuko. Why not join us on the veranda and we can share a nice cup of tea, hmm?" Madame Mai recomposed herself and gestured the water girl, Sienna, forward. The girl demurely sidled up next to the stunned prince. He let her lead him by the arm and out to the garden, followed by a grinning Uncle Iroh, who genially took the bordello's manager by the elbow, patting her hand.

Zuko had no idea what he was getting into. Moreover, he wasn't sure he _didn't_ like it.

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_Much, much, much earlier that day…_

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_

"I'm—"

"Starving, we know! Now will you _please_ shut your food hole Sokka!" Katara snapped irately. "We're all hungry, and we're out of food and money, plus these woods don't have much to eat. The only thing we can do now is go into town and see if we can't get some work and scrape together some cash."

"Man, I wish I were a bison. Then I could eat grass and leaves and stuff and be fine," the water boy whined, watching as Appa chewed contentedly on a nearby shrub. Momo looked equally as happy, nibbling on a fat bug. The lemur looked up and proffered half to Sokka.

"Stop taunting me!" He cried, his stomach gurgling. Momo wrinkled his nose at the picky water boy and continued munching.

"Guys, I don't know if we should go into town. I have this… feeling." They stood on the hill overlooking the town spread out before them, the early morning sun casting a warm orange glow over the picturesque scene below. It was much bigger than many of the towns they'd visited. From their vantage point they could see clusters of tall, multistoried buildings, and lush green gardens enclosed within stone walls. The marketplace near the centre of town was bustling, and the scent of fruits and roasting meat on the wind made their stomachs growl loudly.

"Look, if we don't go down there, we'll starve out here," Sokka reasoned. "Just put on your hat and cloak and we'll stay for a day and see if we can't get some work and buy us some food."

"I have to agree with hungry boy here, Aang. We don't have a choice right now. If we go any further, we could all drop dead from starvation."

Aang sighed. "Okay. Just… everyone be on the lookout. I don't want to be recognized."

"Oh, so_ now_ you're learning not to attract attention after the Fire Festival?"

"Shut up Sokka. Save your strength until we get to town. We'll need it if we want to find work." Katara stomped ahead. She had been moodier than usual of late, mostly because of the hollow rumblings in her tummy.

They started down the path, and Aang told Appa and Momo to stay hidden in the forest while they were away. The monk did as Sokka instructed and pulled on a dark cloak and his rice paddy hat to hide his Airbending tattoos. The Water Tribe children went on without disguises.

In short time, they entered the village and began wandering about, asking shopkeepers and vendors if they had any work they'd be willing to pay one of the three children to do. No one had anything to spare.

They walked on, growing more and more hungry and tired as they neared the city centre.

"Maybe we'd be better off splitting up," Sokka suggested. "I could go down to the docks with Aang and see if the two of us can't help haul some crates or fish or something."

Katara arched an eyebrow. "And what am I supposed to do?"

"Look Katara. We'll all have an easier time getting work if we didn't walk altogether. People take one look and think they'll have to pay all three of us. Trust me, it just works better this way. We can meet up at sunset back where Appa's waiting."

Aang bristled. "Sokka, I don't think we should split up."

"Why not?"

"It's just... I have a bad feeling about this. Any time we split up, something bad always happens." He eyed Katara worriedly.

"This isn't like Ho'Wan Island. Look, I'll give Katara the bison whistle. If anything bad happens, she can call Appa and get out." Sokka proffered the whistle and Katara took it a little uneasily.

"Maybe I should stay with Katara," Aang said.

The Waterbender smiled down at the little monk. "It's okay Aang. I can take care of myself, and Sokka's right: it'd be easier to get a job if neither of you were around to cramp my style. Besides, two strong, young men like you could get good work at the docks."

Aang looked both proud and crestfallen at once, but he conceded to Katara's wishes. They said goodbye and good luck, and promised to meet back on the hill at sunset.

As the boys headed toward the docks, the Waterbender looked about, planning her next move.

_If I were a job, where would I be?_

She ambled up one street, politely inquiring about a day's worth of work. One man offered her five coppers to muck out his emu-horse stalls, but the amount of dung she'd have to handle was hardly worth the measly pay. She'd keep it in mind, though.

As she spoke with a fruit merchant, who sadly turned down her offer of help, a rotund Earth Kingdom woman called to her.

"Excuse me, miss? Did I hear you say you were looking for a little work?" She asked smilingly.

Katara's heart leapt. "Yes! Yes I am!"

The woman smiled. "I could use a hand for a day or two with a few kitchen chores. One of my girls has fallen sick, you see. I just need someone to fill in for her. You can cut and clean and chop, I assume?"

Katara nodded enthusiastically and quickly told the woman about her culinary skills.

"Sounds perfect. I can pay you three silvers for the day. Sound fair?"

Three silvers! Katara smiled and nodded again. That would be enough money to get them a few meals.

"Wonderful! If you wouldn't mind helping me carry this basket, I work over at that building there." She pointed to a five-storey pagoda that sprawled into a huge complex ringed around with a tall stone wall.

Katara's eyes and smile widened at the sheer grandeur of the establishment. As they walked toward it, she wondered what it was; it looked to be some kind of lavish inn for the wealthy. A bath house, maybe?

But it didn't matter at that point. All Katara knew was that she was going to get paid, and then she could buy meat and bread and rice and vegetables in the market, and the three travelers would get to eat and continue on to the North Pole.

She had a great feeling about the place.

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**Don't forget to R'n'R and add me to your Story Alert list!**  



	3. Chapter 3

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**Chapter 3**

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The kitchen woman's name was Chen. She made sure Katara was fed with a hearty bowl of vegetable soup and white rice before putting her to work in the enormous kitchen.

The place was bustling; men and women raced to and fro, chopping herbs, feeding fires, mixing, marinating, and mashing things for all the days' meals. Large platters of meat, bread, and fruit were being loaded onto numerous large dumbwaiters around the vast room, each labeled with numbers and letters indicating levels and rooms. Other platters disappeared through the doors. Six chefs stood at twelve small cooking hearths. Another dozen prep staff worked behind them, each apparently apprenticed under a single cook. Upon closer inspection, Katara realized some of the chefs were Firebenders who could control the cooking fires to their liking. It immediately put her on edge, but their easy-going manners, dedication to their culinary art, and decidedly un-warlike attitudes quickly made Katara forget they were anything but cooks.

Chen was apparently the kitchen captain, charged with making sure all the food going in and out of the great swinging double doors was delivered fast and hot (or cold) as was strictly ordered and generally keeping the great machine that was the kitchen operating. She worked efficiently, flitting about as if on wings, tasting, talking, and ordering people around, and all the staff obeyed her smilingly.

Katara was set before a great pile of vegetables and instructed to clean and skin them. The water girl took on the task of washing the potatoes, carrots, melons, and other assorted unidentifiable legumes with great relish. It became monotonous quickly, so to keep it interesting, she used Waterbending to get the food squeaky clean, running long snakes of water from the tub around eggplants and encasing tomatoes in globules of spinning water.

Nothing escaped Chen's notice.

"You're a Waterbender? Why didn't you tell me so?" She exclaimed, wiping her hands on her apron.

"I'm not really that good," Katara blushed. "I'm actually on my way to the North Pole to find a master."

"What I just saw is all I need to know you're good enough. One day, you'll be great. But if you want to put some of those skills to use and get a little practice in, I have some more interesting tasks for you than peeling vegetables."

Chen led her out to the scullery. Katara stopped, gaping. Columns of plates caked with multicoloured leftovers were stacked as tall she; a basin in one corner was overflowing with hundreds of tiny sake cups. Pots and pans were abuzz with hungry flies, and a veritable forest of used cutlery sprang up from numerous trays and basins.

"The water pump is over there," Chen pointed outside. "Now normally this would be a tremendously horrible job, but I think as a Waterbender, you could do this quickly and could even have some fun with it." The captain flitted away. "Good luck! I'll come back to check up on you later."

Katara shut her gaping mouth for fear of swallowing a bug and looked over her task. She gingerly inspected the piles, trying to figure out where she should begin.

Use Waterbending to clean dishes? Well, it shouldn't be any different from the vegetables. She instinctively reached out and drew a snake of water from the nozzle of the pump, but held it in mid air, trying to decide how to go about the enormous mess.

She had an idea.

She began by clearing out the sink basin – she would need the space to wash, after all. She filled the tub with water from the pump, and began producing swirling motions within the murky pool, gently scrubbing the sake cups with a miniature whirlpool. When she was satisfied these were clean, she moved them outside to dry in the sun.

She attacked the plates next. Grabbing another snake of water, Katara looped the liquid around one neatly stacked column of plates and froze it, encasing it in ice. She bent the column and moved it altogether to the sink, straining at the weight of the ice and porcelain. Fortunately, she didn't break a single dish – only the ice chipped when it landed in the tub. Melting the ice, she began her gentle whirlpool scrubbing, working at the more stubborn bits of food with a brush, until she was once again satisfied they were all clean. She froze the plates altogether once more and moved them outside to dry in the sun.

She continued this process for what felt like eternity, frequently changing the dirty dishwater and gradually wearing down the pile of dishes. Chen came in to check on her in the afternoon and was shocked by how quickly she was getting through the work.

"I'm doubling your pay," She said decisively. "Tell me, you wouldn't think about staying on full time, would you? I promise the pay is good and you'll be kept very well fed."

Katara laughed. "Thanks, but I'm traveling with friends and I promised to go with them to the North Pole. And really, I want to learn how to fight."

Chen looked crestfallen. "Don't be too eager to jump into the war now, you hear? Maybe you've noticed, but the people on our staff come from all over the world. This is one of the few places where the war doesn't touch us, where being from the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe doesn't matter. We don't have sides here, you know." The rotund woman smiled sadly. "No death. No killing."

Katara nodded in understanding. It was a little odd, she supposed, to see Firebenders working and laughing alongside people from the Earth Kingdom. But what was so odd about it, really? When she thought about it, a world where everyone could co-exist was exactly what was meant to be – what Aang was striving for. This place was a start… or maybe it was a hold out from what used to be a hundred years ago.

"Chen, what is this place, exactly?" Katara asked. "Is it like an inn, or a bath house?"

"Oh!" Chen exclaimed. "You don't know? Of course, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. This is Madame Mai's Court of Joy."

Katara looked puzzled. "So it's a restaurant?"

Chen's lips pursed into a smile. "Well, by the amount we cook regularly, you'd think we were!" She laughed, almost a little too forcefully. "An inn. Yes, I suppose you could call it that. It might be easier to explain if you went on a tour. Would you like that? It might convince you that this is a great place to work."

Katara shrugged. "Sure? Why not?"

Chen smiled. "How about you finish up here, and then get yourself cleaned up – there's a small bathhouse for the servants to use just around the back where you can wipe yourself down. I don't imagine you'll be very clean after all those dishes," Chen laughed as Katara looked down at her food-bespeckled robes, grimacing. "Have a rest and get yourself a bite to eat – you did good work today. I'll come back in a bit for you."

The Waterbender nodded and rushed to put the dishes away and get cleaned up.

* * *

Zuko absently stared at his tea cup, listening to the old people chatter over the susurrations of the wind through the trees. His eyes flitted here and there, catching the movement of people walking through the garden, and couples kissing by the koi ponds. He did everything in his power not to look at the pretty water girl sitting directly across from him, but he knew she was staring at him from beneath her long, dark lashes.

"So what do you think, Zuko?" Iroh chimed in suddenly. The prince snapped his attention up.

"What?"

"I said, what do you think about staying the night? Madame Mai is having the kitchen prepare us a wonderful dinner, and she's having special entertainment brought from within the city."

Zuko frowned. "Uncle, I have to get back to the ship—"

"Nonsense!" Iroh waved off. "Besides, you wouldn't be able to go anywhere – I told the crew to take some shore leave while we were away."

"You WHAT?"

"They needed a break. What better time to stop than your birthday?"

"And WHEN were you planning to tell me this?"

"Never, actually," the old general pooh-poohed. "The next morning if necessary."

Zuko made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. He caught the girl, Sienna, hiding a smile behind her delicate hands. Gods above, if it weren't for the fact that she looked so much like Katara, and that he kept thinking the Waterbender was sitting right there, the prince would have stomped out a long time ago. He should have. Could have. But he just couldn't muster up the nerve to dash out of there. Again.

"You won't regret spending the night," Mai said, setting her teacup down smilingly. "Our services are extensive. We don't just provide food and drink and good company..."

"I don't want to hear about the services you have to offer," Zuko scowled. "I know what kind of place this is."

"Be polite, nephew." Iroh said in warning.

Zuko bit back a hot retort, but his eye caught the dark-skinned Sienna looking away, a little shamefaced. His heart skipped for the hundredth time that afternoon as he thought about Katara, her profile mirrored in Sienna's. He immediately regretted opening his mouth.

"I… I'm sorry." He said, more to the girl than to his elders. "I don't mean to be rude."

"Could have fooled me," Iroh snorted. "So what do you say about tonight? Will you stay? You don't have to do anything you don't want to, of course."

His uncle's hopeful tone told Zuko that he would, in fact, have to do a lot of things he didn't want to. But even on his seventeenth birthday, the prince could not deny his esteemed relative any small pleasures. And Iroh really wanted him to stay.

He sighed. "All right uncle. I'll stay."

Sienna broke into a wide smile and looked happily from the prince to her employer. Zuko looked guiltily into her face and returned the meekest of smiles.

He felt like such an idiot.

* * *

**Ever have one of those birthdays where nothing is fun? Yeah, well Zuko probably has those. Every. Year.**


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Katara emerged from the tiny bathhouse refreshed. She had washed her robe out, and was now wearing a shapeless white serving girl's dress and a smock Chen had supplied her with while they hung the water girl's robes out to dry in the sun. 

The kitchen captain handed her a white kerchief and face mask as well.

"You make it look like we're working in a hospital," Katara said eyeing the mask before tying it on.

"It's a pretty strict dress code when you go outside of the servants' areas. All the maids and grunt staff – that's you and me – have to wear white and cover our faces. There are serving staff, but they wear black and don't have to wear masks. We have guards in amour and uniform, of course. And then there are the others..." Chen said enigmatically. She smiled wryly. "The mask is more for your protection than anything else, trust me. You'll understand soon enough."

Nonplussed, Katara donned the kerchief and mask and followed Chen out, feeling as if she was heading into a plague zone.

They stepped through the double doors and skirted around the serving staff who lined the long corridor as they arranged their silver platters with filled sake cups and canapés. Chen quietly explained the rules to Katara before walking through the door that led out to the main area: don't speak to anyone unless spoken to. Don't make eye contact with any of the guests. And don't be shocked by what she might see.

The good feeling Katara had about Madame Mai's Court of Joy began to melt away as they walked into the main courtyard.

Katara looked about and thought she had entered some kind of fancy party. Beautiful women and men walked about the paved stone courtyard. Some lounged about on cushions, many of them simply stood and chatted quietly with each other. Here and there, Katara glimpsed men in Fire Nation armour, and she was once again put on alert, but they didn't seem to be there for any reason except to talk and eat and flirt with the girls.

Chen quietly pointed out some of the main features of the courtyard, indicating the archway leading out to the gardens, the all-female Earthbending guards stationed around the perimeter of the room, and the five floors soaring high above them.

"The topmost rooms are reserved for our most esteemed guests," Chen explained softly. "I'll bring you up and show you the empty suites."

They walked briskly around the edge of the courtyard, heading towards the staircase on the opposite side. Chen had explained they weren't allowed to cut straight across the open floor and Katara nodded in understanding: they were a different class of people in that place.

They walked up to the first level of the pagoda. Katara leaned against the railing and looked down at the people below, watching the colourful robes and dresses drift and swirl around. The kitchen captain opened up one room with a key from a huge ring of keys and ushered her in.

The dark cherry wood floors were polished to a shine. The bed had been recently turned, the white down mattress fluffed and scented with jasmine. All the furniture was richly ornate and beautifully carved. It was a room fit for a prince, Katara thought, and this wasn't even the most opulent of the suites. She barely listened as Chen briefly explained who would stay in these lower cost rooms and what kind of services were offered. All she could think about was how soft and fluffy that bed looked.

Chen brought her to the next level, opened up another room, and once again explained the room's functions. It was larger than the first room, and a small collection of instruments were gathered in one corner. But again, Katara did not register what Chen was saying about the services.

And up and up they went, until they reached the fifth and highest level of the pagoda. As Katara peered over the railing and down at the courtyard, she thought she might swoon from the height.

"Careful there," Chen warned. "The railing has been known to be a little loose in places. We've had a few very unfortunate accidents that way."

She pulled open the double doors to one of the guest rooms. There were only four of the VIP executive suites on this level – apparently, not that many people could afford them.

Katara walked in and gasped. It was nearly twice the size of the room Bumi had interred them in during their stay in Omashu. A balcony opened up to a fantastic view of the town and the gardens below; a private bathroom sported a large tub and privy. The bed was enormous, big enough to comfortably accommodate five, and looked just as inviting as the others.

"Madame Mai is the only one who gets to decide who stays in these rooms," Chen explained. "From what I hear, she's preparing this one and the one across the way for two guests tonight. It's probably a special occasion, so we should get back to the kitchen soon."

"Oh, what about the gardens?" Katara asked. "Do you think I could see those before we go back?"

Chen smiled. "Sure."

They walked back down the flights of stairs. The lift, the woman explained, was only for the guests to use.

As they reached the main level, Katara was suddenly jarred into reality as a burly Earth Kingdom man, a little tipsy and leaning heavily on two giggling girls under each arm, slogged by, nearly bumping into her.

"You girls ever feel the earth move beneath you?" He laughed.

The pretty girls tittered and stroked his chest lovingly, purring as they disappeared into a room.

Katara stopped. She felt her eyes go round. She began registering everything Chen was telling her about the establishment, and each piece of the puzzle slipped together, clicking in her mind as they fell into place.

_Beautiful girls and boys. Richly decorated suites and fluffy down beds. Copious amounts of food and wine…_

_Spirits above, I'm working in a bordello._

Katara suddenly didn't want to touch _anything_ in this place.

"Are you alright?" Chen whispered, shaking her gently. She peered at her over the face mask, her dark eyes shining with concern.

Katara stared. This woman, this wonderful, kind, happy woman, was working in a bordello. All the ladies here were loose and fast and bought for a price. She didn't know what to say. All this time, she was washing dishes that had Gods-knew-what on them, had cut vegetables for clients who were only there for one thing…

"I… I think I need some fresh air."

They walked out into the garden.

* * *

Zuko had tried to convince his uncle to stay, practically pleading with his eyes; but the old man did not – or would not – get the hint.

"There are some lovely ladies I must pay my respects to," he rumbled happily. "You two young people sit and enjoy the sun, hmm?"

The prince was left to brood and continue not looking at the girl next to him. What had it been? Five? Ten? Twenty minutes of silence?

"You're very quiet." Sienna said suddenly.

Zuko looked up and felt his heart leap again. He decided it was the eyes.

"It's okay," the water girl said. "A lot of people don't like to talk."

Zuko couldn't say anything to that as Sienna refilled his half-empty teacup. He murmured a thanks and she folded her hands in her lap.

"Perhaps you'd like me to play an instrument for you? Or sing a song?"

"No!" Zuko berated himself for answering so quickly and so harshly. He hadn't meant it to come out that way. "No… it's alright. I'm enjoying the… er… tranquility."

"It is a lovely, peaceful place, despite the fact that it's a bordello," Sienna agreed. "When people come here, it's like there's no war going on. We have clients from all over the world, and they all respect each other within these walls on penalty of being banned from the court. Even the Fire Nation soldiers who come and go are polite."

Zuko cocked an eyebrow. It was rather odd that this wealthy and prosperous Earth Kingdom town should slip from the Fire Nation's grasp. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to simply come and take it over and have the women at their disposal? He shuddered at his own calculating mind.

"The Fire Nation would have annexed the town a long time ago if it weren't for Madame Mai," Sienna explained, "She made an agreement that all Fire Nation officers with a rank higher than captain would be given special treatment if they visited. In return, they leave the town alone."

"That doesn't sound like it will last," Zuko said, "Considering the Fire Nation's continued victories."

Sienna averted her eyes. "They could have overrun the city a long time ago, but then what would happen to this place? We'd all be refugees and the Court of Joy would be no more. You see, we're safe because we offer what no other pleasure palace can. We offer solace."

Zuko suppressed a snort.

"But you're right. One day, the soldiers _will_ come, and we will all be forced to flee. But until then, we must appreciate what we have, and never forget that we could lose it all in a heartbeat. Some of us are ready to fight and die, and others are ready to flee. Whatever the fates have in store for us, we must accept it with open arms and open hearts. That is the way of the Court."

She sipped her tea quietly. Zuko was staring openly at her now, his mind splitting her identity with that of the Waterbender's.

"You're a long way from home." He blurted.

She looked up. "I am."

"Why are you here?"

Sienna brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I don't think it's a story you want to hear." Her lips pursed.

Put off, Zuko shut his mouth. He was a little cross that she wouldn't tell him. He felt rejected. The look on his face did not escape the water girl's notice. She sighed.

"I was traveling with my parents. We owned a small shipping vessel and made runs between some of the coastal towns in the Earth Kingdom. Pirates attacked and killed the crew and my family, but I was spared and… taken."

Zuko felt bile rising to his throat. He clenched his fists.

"The captain took a liking to me and felt pity for me. Eventually he released me to this town and recommended I see Madame Mai for a job. I have been here ever since."

He was at a total loss for words. "I… I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," she smiled sadly. "You didn't do anything."

The prince stared at his hands, clutching the tiny teacup. He felt angry and sad and guilty all at once, and he had no way to express himself. Though he had done nothing to her, he sat unmoving, hoping Sienna would somehow forgive him.

They sat and listened to the whispers of the wind through the trees.

* * *

A short walk through the garden did not help clear Katara's head, lovely as the scenery was. She wasn't so rude as to blurt out her disgust – after all, Chen and the other kitchen staff had been gracious and kind and worked harmoniously together. They seemed to genuinely love their place of work, and insulting their livelihood would not earn her more silver pieces. Besides, who was Katara to point and yell "shame!" at them?

Perhaps she was being too prudish. Of course she'd always been raised to believe places like these were immoral, but places like these never existed in her tiny village. If the men and women who worked here did it willingly and happily, then how could she possibly pass judgment on them?

Still, it did not settle her mind as she kept catching whiffs of strange smells on the wind.

Katara and Chen trod a short path skirting one of the walls, stopping short of the veranda. The kitchen captain warned her they couldn't stay out for long and should really go back to the kitchen to see what other chores could be done. Katara nodded: it was late afternoon and she would have to meet Aang and Sokka in a few short hours.

"Can't I convince you to stay for a little longer?" Chen pleaded, leading the way back to the kitchen. "You've done so much today, and I'm happy to pay you the extra if you stayed on, even if it's just until midnight. I think you'd really enjoy seeing a feast prepared for the special guests, too."

Katara shook her head, explaining her important rendez-vous, and the captain understood.

They walked through the double doors leading into the kitchen and encountered chaos.

One of the Firebending cooks was screaming in agony, clutching his arm. Something hot had spilled on it and the flesh seemed to be melting away. Kitchen workers were skirting the puddle of hot liquid oozing out over the floor and simultaneously trying to get to the cook to help him.

"Good heavens!" Chen nearly shrieked. "What happened?"

"Li dropped hot oil over his arm!" One man yelled. "He needs to soak it right now!"

"Call the medic!" Chen barked sharply.

Katara winced at the giant white blisters of flesh oozing on the young cook's forearm. She cast about for some way to help him, then realized she_ was_ the way to help him.

The Waterbender called a snake of water into her hands from a nearby basin. She went to the man's side, lightly stepping around the steaming floor as two men pulled him to his feet and out of the range of the boiling oil all over the ground.

"Let me help him," She said firmly. The two men looked up as she formed her healing glove and wrapped the remainder of the water snake along the length of the fleshy burn. Inhaling and exhaling, Katara closed her eyes and willed the wounds to close and heal. The coolness filled her mind and flowed from her fingers the same way it had when she had healed Aang's burn a few short days ago. When she opened them again, the burn was gone and the kitchen staff was silent.

The cook looked down at his arm and gaped.

"I… I don't believe it." He flexed his hand and arm, staring, then looked into Katara's face. He clutched her hands tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much." He kissed her hands, much to the girl's embarrassment.

"Katara…" Chen managed. "You have healing powers?"

"I just learned about it recently myself," the water girl admitted ruefully. The staff murmured their amazement and awe.

The kitchen captain looked up a little irately.

"What's everyone standing around for? Let's get this cleaned up and keep working! We have a feast tonight!" She said, and everyone snapped back to work. The oil was mopped up, the harried healer took the chef away to be examined, and things went back to insanely busy. Chen turned back to the Water Tribe girl.

"You're more valuable than I first supposed," Chen said in wonder. "You should meet Madame Mai. I just know she can convince you to stay and work here. Your skills are phenomenal!"

The Waterbender shifted uncomfortably. "Really, I can't. I'm going to the North Pole—"

"I'm not saying you have to start working for us right away! Maybe after you've mastered bending, you'd like to come back here?" Chen suggested.

Now that she knew exactly what the Court of Joy was, Katara severely doubted she'd return, but she nodded to stop the overzealous woman's sales pitch. This was going to make an interesting story to tell Aang and Sokka.

"Come on. I'd hate to waste your talents on something like cutting potatoes, but they're not going to cut themselves!" Chen said brightly, seeing the girl's discomfort.

Grateful for the change of topic, she got to work on the vegetables.

* * *

The sun set quickly. Katara barely noticed until she looked up from the meat she was pounding.

"Omigosh! I have to go!" She put the mallet down. "I was supposed to meet my brother and friend at sunset!"

Chen furrowed a brow. "Are you sure you have to leave? Dinner's going to be ready soon, and I don't want to send you out on an empty stomach."

"I can't stay. If I do, they'll worry."

Chen sighed. "All right then. I'm sorry to see you go, but I do hope you'll come back and visit us." She relinquished six silver pieces and a handful of coppers – a bonus that Katara could use to buy herself some dinner. "You really should eat more dear. It's not healthy to be that thin."

Katara smirked. "Thank you for the work. I really appreciate it."

"Don't forget your robes!" Chen said, delving into the kitchen work once more. "They're still hanging on the line outside!"

The Waterbender smacked her forehead. How silly would she have looked arriving in that billowing hospital gown and kerchief?

She walked out and started taking down her robe, now dry and a little stiff from the hot sun. As she shook it out, and bundled it up under her arm when a light caught her eye: a red lantern bobbed by, peeking above the tall grey stone wall that separated the gardens from the servants' quarter and kitchen area. She heard a whistle and a whizzing noise. Drums beat out a steady rhythm and then there came a clash of cymbals. Another lantern popped into view above the wall. And another, and another. A whole string of red and yellow lanterns bobbed by, like a strange puppet show, and Katara watched in puzzlement.

"Oh, the tumblers!" Chen appeared at her elbow, wiping her hands on a rag. "Madame Mai must have some very special guests for her to call them in from town."

The captain brought her to break in the hedges and showed Katara a hole where she could watch the procession go by. The troupe was entering the building with great pomp, a spectacular parade of colours and flapping silks. The lanterns were hung on tall poles borne by painted acrobats, who balanced the poles on their chins. Several clowns in silly getups danced by, leaping like mock tumblers.

She gasped.

"Sokka?" She cried through the hole.

The water boy's head snapped around. His face was painted with a perpetually sad red and blue clown face, and he wore a suit of multi-coloured streamers. Only his tied-back hair and the boomerang clinging stubbornly to his back under the streamers had alerted Katara to his identity.

"What are you doing here?" He rushed over to the hedge.

"Working. I was about to come meet you—"

"Hey you! Get back in line!" A voice said gruffly. "We're about to start!"

"Listen, Aang and I just took up these clown jobs and we're performing here tonight, so stick around," Sokka said hurriedly. "We'll meet you right here afterwards."

His face disappeared from the hole before Katara had the chance to mock him.

"Well, as long as you're here, you might as well have some dinner and enjoy the show!" Chen said happily, clasping her shoulder.

Katara shrugged and followed the woman back in. There was no escaping now.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

It seemed like hours before his Uncle finally returned, rosy-cheeked and reeking of sake. Two smiling women followed him, giggling. 

"Whoo! I'd forgotten how good the food and drink here is!" Iroh said happily, plopping down on the cushion opposite Zuko. The prince scowled in disapproval: he enjoyed the occasional spirit, but he would never let himself sink to his esteemed relative's level of inebriety.

"The cooks do their job well," Sienna murmured, smiling. "Almost too well sometimes."

"My good lady Sienna; if you're afraid the cuisine will outshine your loveliness, then may I be the first to say that you would be entirely wrong." Iroh swept a ridiculously low bow, stumbling into the table a little. His two attendants caught him and laughed as they righted him bodily.

Zuko ran a palm over his face.

"I came out here to tell you that dinner will be ready shortly," Iroh said. "Mai's brought in tumblers from town! They'll perform during dessert. Then a night of blissful… er… sleep." The general grinned at each tittering girl on his arm. "Our bedrooms are being prepared as we speak. We're very lucky tonight – we're getting the VIP rooms on the top floor!"

The prince made a noise. Sleep sounded like a great idea: that way, he'd open his eyes tomorrow morning and this whole fiasco of a birthday would finally be over.

"I'll go see to your bed," Sienna offered and gracefully rose from her place. As she made her way around the table, Zuko realized in horror what she meant.

"No!" He grabbed her hand. The girl stopped, alarmed. "I mean… that is…"

"If you would prefer me to keep you company during dinner, I would be happy to." She said demurely, an amused look crinkling her eyes.

Zuko realized he was still clinging to the water girl's hand. He let go abruptly. "Yes. That is what I want." He fumbled. "Please."

Sienna dipped her head as Zuko got up, his knees popping from having sat in the same rigid position for so long. He awkwardly proffered his arm and she took it with a broad smile.

They headed inside for dinner.

* * *

To say it was a feast fit for a prince hardly did the meal justice: Zuko looked over the dishes, realizing it was the first time in a while he had enjoyed anyone but Cook's simple fare. As it was, he preferred light meals of fish, vegetables and rice, but the platters of roast pork, pheasant, stewed beef, and soft-shelled crab laid out before him were too good to pass up. 

He nibbled in his princely fashion, trying hard not to seem overly pleased by the food.

"Delicious! Absolutely superb!" Iroh set his bowl down as they finished and the servants cleared the table. Madame Mai beamed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said to both the men. "And now, dessert!"

She clapped her hands and a boisterous clamour of bells, drums, and cymbals started up. Two doors to the side of the courtyard opened up and out shot a half dozen acrobats in colourful leotards, somersaulting and flipping deftly over the cleared performing space. Four clowns juggled and danced around the edges, looking absolutely ridiculous but not in the ha-ha way.

Zuko barely paid any attention, choosing instead to stare off at some point in the middle distance, bored. Every feat the tumblers performed elicited a mental _I can do that if I wanted to._ Truth be told, Zuko probably _could_ perform any of those tricks with a little practice.

"Is something wrong, Zuko?" Sienna asked at his elbow.

He had almost entirely forgotten the water girl to his left during the meal. His breath hitched once more as he looked at her sideways, seeing that dark brown profile with the wide blue eyes.

He looked away, a little guiltily.

"No… it's nothing."

* * *

Sienna looked into his face with concern. She could tell he wasn't having any fun – had not been having any fun since his arrival. She hadn't been working at the bordello long, but she had encountered plenty of clients who had been pressured into accepting the girls' services, and it never ended well for those who would not allow themselves any modicum of pleasure. She took it upon herself to try to at least make the teen a little more comfortable. 

The servants had brought trays of dragon beard – sweet, powdered treats that only highly skilled chefs knew how to make. The sweets were made of crushed, honey-roasted peanuts wrapped in the most delicate sugared vermicelli-like strands. They simply melted in your mouth, and the women of the bordello had a hard time not gobbling down these delectable but messy and figure-widening confections.

Sienna deftly picked up a piece of the powdered sweet and scooted up closer to the birthday boy.

"Here Zuko, have some dragon's beard," She held the piece up to his face.

Zuko looked shocked. He stared cross eyed at the piece of food in her fingers then up at her face.

"I can feed my—MMRPH!"

Sienna shoved half the candy into the teen's mouth, and he had no choice but to bite down and chew. The girl took the other half away and proffered a napkin.

"Aren't they delicious?" She asked with a smile. Her hand strayed to his shoulder and he looked up at her, cheeks flushed with anger, or possibly confusion. The prince said nothing, his sugar-powdered lips looking temptingly inviting to the young bordello worker. He really was quite handsome; innocent, almost, despite the scar and perpetual scowl.

"Here," she offered the other half and Zuko looked at it warily, afraid she would assault him again. He hesitantly parted his lips and let her push the sweet into his mouth. His lips closed over her fingertips, and she felt them brush lightly against her skin.

He looked into her face momentarily, realizing the intimate contact they'd just made. A blush burned high on his cheeks and he looked away, even as she reached around and dusted the white powdered sugar from his chin.

She smiled and offered him another sweet.

* * *

Sokka was a little too stage frightened to do anything but stand in his designated spot and spin around like a fool. Looking like an idiot proved to be a lot harder than he had originally anticipated, but it would be well worth the five silvers he and Aang would each receive at the end of the night. 

Despite the frenetic dancing, that particular shade of blue on the dais caught his eye and he stopped momentarily to catch a look.

His stomach leapt to his throat.

_Katara?_

He looked again: no, it wasn't Katara. Just someone who looked remarkably like her. At that moment, she was feeding morsels of something to her companion, a young man whose distinct queue of raven wing hair immediately caught his attention…

_Zuko! _

What the hell was the prince doing here? Sokka nearly panicked and ran off, screaming for Aang, when a tumbler looked his way and hissed for him to keep dancing.

What could he do? The monk was on the opposite corner of the square wearing a ridiculous bright orange wig and a billowing suit of iridescent scales. He didn't seem to have noticed Zuko yet, and the prince was too involved doing whatever it was he was doing with the girl at his side.

Sokka looked about, scoping out the exits and planning the quickest escape route he could. The main entrance was too prominent and out of the question, flanked on either side by tall, beefy-looking guards. His best hope of escape was with the rest of the troupe when the performance was over. He would just have to hope the teenage Firebender would continue to be too preoccupied to notice his prey dancing before him.

The Water Tribe warrior prayed neither Katara nor Aang gave away their identities.

* * *

Katara finished her supper and rushed to the door leading out to the main courtyard where the tumblers were performing. On a small dais at one end of the courtyard was Madame Mai and her two guests, flanked by a few of the girls. She was too far to see their faces, but figured they must be very important to receive so much attention. 

She looked over at the performers and picked out Sokka, smiling as the proud, brave Water Tribe warrior hopped from one foot to the next, prancing about on the spot like an idiot. She scanned the other clowns and picked out Aang. It was his diminutive size compared to the other performers than gave him away. That, and the characteristic buoyancy of his movements Katara had learned to recognize.

The sinewy tumblers arced and jumped and soared through the air gracefully, reminding the Waterbender of penguins moving through the water. At one point, they formed a hoop with their bodies and each member leapt through it, taking the place of one of the hoop-makers as the next jumped through.

When she looked again, Katara noticed the esteemed guests weren't paying any attention. One of them was fawning over the girl sitting next to him as she fed him, the other was simply drinking and laughing.

_How rude,_ she sniffed.

The tumblers leapt out of their formation and bowed, receiving hearty applause from the audience of servants and bordello workers. The lead tumbler stepped forward.

"For our final feat, we would like one of our guests to join us on the floor. You there!" He pointed at one of the men on the dais. He sat perfectly still, staring.

The other man urged the man to his feet and he was unceremoniously shoved down into the performers' midst.

Katara stared in horror, heart plunging to her stomach.

_Zuko!_

She looked at Sokka, who was trying to hide his face by staring at the ground. Aang looked equally as surprised, and was simply standing stock still, as if the prince could only detect his prey by movement.

Katara's head swirled. What could she do? She couldn't leave the boys there, and she couldn't call Appa: blowing the bison whistle now might alert any Fire Nation soldiers in the vicinity of the Avatar's whereabouts.

She had to wait. If they were lucky, Zuko wouldn't recognize Aang or Sokka. Thank the gods they were in costume and she was wearing the white servant's mask and kerchief.

The tumbler guided Zuko to the centre of the floor and had him stand very still. Into each hand, he placed a lit oil brazier, each giving of a hot flame. He instructed the teen to hold the lamps out at arms length to either side of his body. The tumblers each held three candles – the trick was they would leap and fly by, lighting all three of their candles on the outstretched flames in two passes or fewer. It was part juggling, part tumbling, part fire play. The prince did not look pleased as the acrobats took their places.

"Ready!" The leader shouted. "Set! GO!"

* * *

The tumblers had known it was his birthday, of course. They would have accepted no other "volunteer" except him. Iroh had gleefully pushed him to his feet, but it was Sienna who had sweetly urged him on. Ridiculously, a small part of him wanted to impress the girl. 

And so he had gone up, albeit a little reluctantly, and joined the spectacularly dressed performers. He frowningly complied with the leader's instructions to hold very still, arms outstretched, holding the open flames. It seemed like such a stupid trick – he was a Firebender, after all, so the danger factor was quite low, or so he thought. And the acrobatics were really sub-par: he'd seen better that the Fire Nation palace. But that had been years ago, when he was still welcome in the court…

"GO!" He heard faintly.

A whirl of bodies zipped past him, sandwiching him uncomfortably between two lines of diving, leaping forms. He felt the jangle of the lamps in either hand as a candle or two was touched to the flame. Part of him thought about bursting into flame just to startle the performers, but Iroh had warned him against using his bending in this place – it wasn't regarded as good guest etiquette.

Even with the blur of acrobats squeezing him into his imaginary flat box of space, Zuko refused to close his eyes. He fixed his gaze on a point in the distance, not really looking at anything, and let his mind wander as he blocked out the action around him.

He thought about Sienna, and realized he was now seeing her as a separate entity from Katara. She wasn't the Water Tribe girl he had first encountered when the pursuit for the Avatar had begun in earnest: she was a bordello worker, a girl who made a living off pleasuring her clients. She was really no different from the concubines of the hougong at the Fire Nation palace, except that she was remarkably young, and saddled with unfortunate circumstances. Zuko idly wondered if she would go home to the Northern Water Tribe if given the chance – perhaps she had relatives there who would welcome her home?

But that was unlikely. People would wonder how she had survived the pirate attack, and how she had managed to make her way back home so well fed and healthy. The truth would come out sooner or later, and knowing what Zuko knew about the honour and the virtue of Water Tribe maidens, Sienna would be exiled from her homeland.

At least here in Madame Mai's court, she was fed, sheltered, and given a certain amount of protection. Perhaps she was better off here than anywhere else.

The oil brazier in the prince's left hand jangled alarmingly, jarring him from his reverie. For a moment, he forgot what he was doing and lifted his arm to inspect the lamp, just as a tumbler lunged for the flame.

The oil spilled, and Zuko found himself on fire.

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**Ah, torturing Zuko is so much fun...** **just one more chapter to go!**  



	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to the final chapter of The Gift. Thanks for sticking around! Hope you enjoyed it! **

**In case it hasn't been made clear, I don't own Avatar or any of the characters or other awesome ATLA stuff. I just like to play with them.  
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**Chapter 6**

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Chaos. More chaos than a Firebender could unleash on his own. The oil braziers balanced precariously on Zuko's fingertips fell, splashing burning oil all over the ground and the prince's left arm. He screamed first in alarm, then in panic, then in agony as the green-yellow flames devoured his flesh.

The tumblers sprang into action. Two of them immediately rushed forward and wrapped their unfortunate "volunteer" in a blanket, tackling him and rolling him across the ground, smothering the flame. Others dashed forth with wet blankets and smothered the flames on the floor quickly. Apparently, they'd been ready for an accident.

Katara felt numb as she listened to Zuko's screams. The blood-curdling cries of a boy not much older than her brother were terrifying. She barely heard Chen at her side.

"Katara!" The kitchen captain shook her. "Katara! You have to help that boy!"

The Waterbender stared at the kitchen captain as if she had sprouted another head. Saving Zuko from a deadly fall at Ho'Wan Island was one thing, but this? This, she realized, was her chance to escape, to get Sokka and Aang and leave this weird day behind!

And suddenly her feet were moving of their own accord, propelling her toward the sounds of pain-filled hisses and moans coming from the young Firebender. His cries for help were overriding her logic; she simply couldn't leave him in agony, much to her chagrin. Katara felt as though her disembodied brain was flowing across that wide courtyard toward the disaster area, already mentally preparing herself for the healing process. Never mind that it was Zuko.

_Oh please don't let him recognize me…_

She pulled the face mask higher over her nose. Chen followed closely, carrying a pitcher of clean, cold drinking water.

"Stand clear! I've brought a water healer! Make way!" Chen bellowed, and the tumblers and assorted other staff gathered around the prince cleared at the kitchen captain's staunch command.

Zuko sat on the ground, clutching his left arm, sweating, gritting his teeth, tears squeezing out of his eyes. The teen's armoured forearm, right up the elbow, was soaked in oil and charred black. The flesh of his exposed had was covered in white oozing blisters, just like the chef's had been earlier that day.

Katara stared down at him for a long moment. It was the first time since Ho'Wan she had seen him, and at that moment she didn't know what to think. She just acted.

"Take off his armour," She said hoarsely, and several hands reached forward to help the young man out of the shell. The cuff around his left forearm came off with a sickening peeling sound and Zuko whimpered. The sleeve of the linen shirt beneath was ruined: a pair of hands deftly cut this away with a knife, exposing the raw, red flesh beneath – it was a good thing he'd been wearing that cuff, otherwise it would have been much, much worse.

The crowd swayed and jostled as someone pushed their way through. "Zuko!" A girl in a blue silk robe emerged from the forest of bodies and knelt by the teen prince's side.

"Shh, it'll be okay," the girl said soothingly. Zuko blearily looked at her as she touched his face, running a small hand across his scarred cheek.

Katara stopped and looked at the girl.

The girl looked back.

And at that moment, it was like the universe had collapsed in on itself. Two pairs of bright blue eyes against dark skin met. It was like an electric current of perfect understanding passed through them, and neither could tear her eyes away from the other.

Katara was suddenly reminded of a story her Gran Gran told her about doppelgangers – ghostly doubles of a person that, when seen, heralded an ill future for the individual. In Water Tribe folklore, a person might see themselves, and even talk to their ghostly counterparts. Sometimes the doppelganger would give misleading advice or plant ideas into the person's mind in an effort to do away with the corporeal version so it could take his or her place in the realm of the living. In other stories, the appearance of the doppelganger simply meant something bad would happen to the person.

Though Katara was wearing a face mask, she knew that if she pulled it down, as she was sorely tempted to do, she would meet a near mirror image of herself. The girl crouched on the floor before her seemed to know it too without even seeing her face. Reality pivoted on this axis where the two girls from opposite ends of the earth had intersected, and they both felt something within them flip. A chill raced over the Waterbender's skin; the girl across from her shivered.

A groan from the prone body between the water girls brought Katara back to down to earth.

"It's okay, Zuko, I'm here." Sienna said soothingly, stroking his brow and scalp. She peeked up at Katara to see her reaction, but the Waterbender paid her no mind as she gathered a water snake into her palm and formed the healing glove.

Katara's brain blocked out everything around her as she worked on the prince's oozing flesh. Never mind that this was Zuko, never mind that this was a bordello, never mind her twin working as a who-knows-what in this place, and never mind that the prince was associating with her. Never mind all the weird coincidences Fate had decided to spin in the twisted web around her. Just heal the damn boy and get out of here.

The glow worked over his injury, dripping away as the wound disappeared. The pale flesh closed over, new and smooth as before. She looked at his hand, where the worst burns had been, and frowned at the damaged tissue in the webbing of his fingers. Drawing more water from the pitcher, Katara carefully laced her fingers with Zuko's and exhaled. His hand twitched and he squeezed her palm gently as the water dissolved the blood and left behind flawless skin. The water girl tried desperately to ignore the warmth of his hand as the healing water did its work. _It's just the residual heat from the oil_, she told herself as that alien warmth flowed down her arm. She kept her eyes downcast, hoping the blush was hidden beneath her mask.

The last of the healing water traced cool little rivulets twining down both their arms. When she let go, the prince sighed in relief, gazing at his miraculously healed forearm.

"Nephew, are you alright?" An old man in Fire Nation robes appeared at Zuko's side. The teen looked up at the old man's face, nodding. Katara took this moment to stand and escape back into the crowd before she was noticed.

* * *

"I'm fine uncle." Zuko flexed his reformed hand again 

"Are you sure? Where were you burned?"

"Just on my arm." Zuko turned his head to thank the white-clad healer, but she had disappeared. The edge of her billowing white gown flickered between the forest of legs of the lookers-on, but he did manage to spot a long braid at her back.

It didn't register until much, much later.

"Good heavens, I cannot say how sorry I am for all this," Madame Mai practically kow-towed to the young man, who was being helped to his feet. The tumblers melted away, shamefaced. "Please, allow me give you a further discount to your rooms tonight. Anything you ask for shall be yours."

Zuko wasn't sure what to say. He was still dazed by the blinding pain, the still too-familiar sensation of burning, the smell of cooked flesh, and the sudden relief when it all went away with a simple touch.

"I will take Zuko to his room to rest," Sienna said promptly. She threaded her arm through the prince's and began to pull him away, but he stayed anchored to the spot. He looked at her as if he had no idea who she was.

"I'd like to thank the Waterbending healer who helped my nephew," Iroh rumbled to Madame Mai. "She did remarkable work."

Mai blinked. "Waterbending healer? We don't have any such person on our staff."

"That was my doing, Madame Mai," A stout woman in a billowing white servant's gown, mask and kerchief came forward. "She was just helping out in the kitchen for the day. She did the same for Chef Li earlier on when he accidentally spilled oil on himself. She saved us a fine chef as well as a guest."

"Where did she go?" Iroh asked.

Chen looked around.

"Katara? Katara, where did you go?"

Zuko's head snapped around at the sound of Katara's name. His eyes widened.

* * *

Aang and Sokka were easy to spot. She waved at them discreetly, pacing quickly toward the servants door and gesturing for them to follow. 

"We have to get out of here," Katara said firmly when they met up about halfway to the kitchen door.

"But we didn't get paid yet!" Sokka hissed.

"Forget it, I made enough to last us a while."

"And how did you do that, exactly?" The water warrior asked suspiciously.

She opened her mouth to protest that she had no idea what this place was when she arrived, when they heard a cry.

"Katara? Katara, where are you?" Chen was calling loudly.

Their cover was blown.

"Katara! Come back here!" Chen shouted.

"The man wants to thank you!" Madame Mai sang pleasantly above the din.

"KATARA, STOP!" Zuko's command was full and forceful, and very nearly made her stop and turn around.

All three flinched, eyes wide.

"RUN!" And they broke into a mad dash for the kitchen doors.

The Waterbender felt her heart rise to her throat, hot adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her feet slapped hard across the slate-paved courtyard and she tore the mask from her face so she could gulp air down more readily. The hair kerchief came undone, freeing the carefully tucked in hair loops. The bit of white linen flew out behind her as she slammed the double doors to the servants' area open.

"Get Appa here, NOW!" Aang cried to her.

"We're indoors! He can't hear us!" Sokka screamed. The servants looked at them quizzically.

"Out the back!

"No, there's no way out of the garden!" Katara said. She stared around, wild eyed, trying to think of an escape route. She stared at the open dumbwaiter.

"There!"

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Zuko struggled forward. The Avatar! Katara! They were here all along, right under his nose, and he had missed them! 

"Get out of my way!" He shouted, shouldering by the hovering bystanders. He broke into a dead run, feeling oddly unbalanced with only half of his armour on.

Clowns. Of course, the Avatar and the water boy had been clowns. And they had made a complete fool of him! They had humiliated him on his birthday by parading around and tricking him! They had probably even set up the burn and healing. And he had been flirting with a whore the entire time right in front of the girl he had been crushing on!

"I will make them pay dearly for this," he hissed at himself, though his mind was roiling in mortification. _Katara, please don't think this is what it looks like, I really wasn't doing anything with her…_

He burst through the double doors, the servants staring at him quizzically. He scanned the faces, but recognized none, and moved on into the kitchen.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" He demanded.

Everyone stood baffled for a moment as Zuko ran out through the scullery, but no one was out there. Either they had managed to scale the incredibly tall stone wall, or they hadn't come this way. He ran back in and noticed an open hatchway. The rope and pulley system within was running phenomenally fast.

The Firebender wrenched the door open and stuck his head into the long shaft. The platform was already several storeys up. He could hear three panicked voices shouting at each other.

"Keep pulling!"

"Sokka, stop eating the food and help us!"

"What? I haven't eaten since lunch and we don't want to waste it by standing on it!"

Zuko contemplated setting the rope on fire, or shooting a long tongue of flame up the shaft, but that would send the three plummeting to their deaths, and that wasn't what he wanted.

"Where does this thing go?" Zuko barked at the nearest kitchen hand.

"Fifth floor. This one ends up in suite number three." He pointed at the sign above the door.

Zuko raced out, pushing past more bewildered people, and dashed into the small elevator, pulling the counterbalance lever that would bring him to the topmost floor.

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! _He stared up at the shaft through the bamboo lattice, watching as his head broke through each level. Finally, the elevator stopped and he practically ripped the gate off its hinge getting out.

Suite three was at the exact opposite end from where the elevator was, so Zuko had to run around the level to reach it. The door was locked and he threw his weight against it, but the solid carved oak doors did not budge, and bruised his unprotected shoulder.

"DAMMIT!" He looked at the lock and widened his stance, breathing deeply. He threw his fist out with a roar and focused a jet of hot white flame at the door.

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"He's trying to burn through the door!" Sokka shouted. He began piling things in front of the entrance. 

"C'mon Appa, where are you?" Aang blew the whistle for the third time from the balcony, long and hard.

Katara stared at the door apprehensively. How did this happen? Why was it whenever she went out on her own, the day ended up with the three of them being chased by the Fire Prince?

She looked about. There had to be a way to stall for more time until Appa got here. If Zuko threw any more fire, the whole place might go up in flames.

She suddenly remembered the bathroom. Drawing up a snake of water from the tub faucet, Katara threw it against the door, but the door was so hot from the Firebender's assault that the liquid hissed right off, evaporating into steam. So much for freezing the doors shut.

She thought fast. The doors… when Chen opened them earlier, she had _pulled_ them open, meaning they opened out.

"Sokka! Get away from the doors!" She said, gathering up as much liquid as she could hold, wrapping the sluice around her, straining at the sheer volume of water coursing in that donut torrent.

The Water Tribe warrior looked at the enormous water whip his sister had drawn and scrambled out of the way. Katara curled the water around her and shifted her weight through the stances.

With a swift lashing out of her arm, the water coiled out and struck the doors, slamming them open and knocking the prince squarely in the jaw. Zuko stumbled back, reeling from the strike, right into the banister, which shook, snapped—

And then the Firebender was precariously balanced on one foot, arms windmilling, hanging over the edge where the banister had been knocked out and was now suspended in mid-air above the court five stories below.

Zuko's wide gold eyes latched onto Katara's face, pleading.

The Waterbender thought about letting him fall. She'd already saved his life twice. She didn't owe him anything else. But her arms whipped out and she grabbed Zuko around the waist with a snake of water. The liquid flowed down past his hips, knees and ankles. An icy breath froze him so he was still hanging awkwardly backwards at a thirty degree angle, his feet firmly attached to the lip of the floor.

Zuko gulped, leaning forward so that his torso was at least perpendicular to the ground. He looked up at Katara once more, gritting his teeth.

"Katara, c'mon!" Sokka yelled. Appa had finally arrived, and Aang was already seated on his neck.

Katara took one more look at Zuko, smirking, and jumped up onto Appa's litter.

They took off, sailing away into the night, her white clothes billowing out behind her.

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Zuko clenched his fists, fuming but keeping his body temperature carefully regulated. If he heated the ice around his legs and torso at all, it could crack and drop him. 

A few minutes later, Iroh, Mai, Sienna, and a host of other bordello workers arrived to hoist Zuko out of the precarious ice prison. Mai was practically blithering, caught somewhere between a state of panic at the horrors her guests had endured, and the damage her property had incurred. Iroh melted the ice off around Zuko's body while two strong men kept a firm hold around the prince's angled form. They pulled him back safely onto the landing.

Sienna stood quietly to one side on the hall landing, looking out through the open balcony in suite three.

"The Avatar?" Iroh asked solemnly. Zuko glowered at his uncle and snorted a gout of smoke.

Mai pursed her lips, wringing her hands, restraining herself from touching the sooty oak door.

"Do you want to pursue?" The retired general asked quietly.

Zuko stared at his left hand, flexing it.

"No." He said lowly. After a moment, he swept past the others, not making any eye contact. "Can I take this room?" He pointed at suite three without addressing anyone in particular. Mai nodded mutely.

Zuko slammed the doors behind him.

He wrenched off his remaining armour, kicking his boots off, ignoring the hot tears of disappointment and humiliation streaming down his face. He pulled his tunic over his head, still soaked in the remnants of the lamp oil, half the left sleeve gone, and felt the cool night air brush him. The balcony doors were still open, letting in the wan light of the crescent moon shine in. He looked out, unable to spot the flying bison in the night sky, then snorted with disgust at himself.

He turned to fling himself into bed. All he wanted was to sleep now, and forget this day had ever happened.

"Zuko?"

The prince jumped. Sienna was standing by the door, hands folded demurely in front of her. She watched him with questioning eyes.

"Go away Sienna. I don't require your services."

"I know," she said. "But I was wondering… I wanted to ask you something." She stepped into the light, watching him warily.

Zuko turned his back, roughly wiping his tear-stained cheeks as he poured himself a glass of wine from the decanter on the side table, splashing some onto his trembling hand. He desperately needed the drink if he was going to sleep at all tonight. "What?" He asked crossly.

"That girl… the one who healed you. I think you said her name was… Katara." She said hesitantly.

Zuko stiffened. "What about her?"

The heartbeat of silence was deafening. "You're in love with her," she said slowly. "Aren't you?"

"Get out." Zuko said. "You're just a whore. What would you know about love?"

Sienna swallowed the stinging remark and slowly approached him. "I know that look you gave me when you first saw me, and all the sidelong glances you kept giving me all day; the way you kept flinching, like you kept remembering something about me. I know what I heard when you screamed her name; it was the sound of a boy desperate to have a girl look at him and listen to him. And I know what it means when you keep your back turned so you don't have to look at someone who reminds you of her."

Zuko didn't know what possessed him to do it. Everything had turned out so badly today that he just wanted something for himself, something that would make him forget, something to make it all go away. He turned and grabbed the girl roughly by the arms, dragging her toward him. She gasped but did not struggle as he closed in on her, her wide eyes fluttering closed as she waited to be taken. He brought his face a mere centimeter from hers, trembling, breathing in her scent, like lilies and camphor; a scent that was so _not_ Katara's.

The alien smell jarred Zuko from his sudden fervor, and he blinked. The prince looked into that smooth brown face, cool and serene in the moonlight, and felt a surge of guilt and remorse well inside his throat. He let go.

"No." He said hoarsely, turning, resting his palms on the side table. "I won't."

Sienna stood a moment more, waiting to see if he would change his mind. When he didn't, swallowing a big gulp of wine, she took a step back from him.

The prince turned his head slightly to watch her out of his peripheral vision. She placed something down on the table by his hand. "Goodnight Zuko. Happy birthday."

Sienna said nothing else. Zuko heard the door open and shut quietly. He downed the rest of the warm red wine in one gulp and wiped his mouth, feeling the hot burn spread down his throat and down into his gullet.

He looked down at the object Sienna left behind. He picked it up off the table.

It was a white linen hair kerchief. Probably the one the Waterbender had been wearing as part of her disguise.

Zuko stared at the crisp piece of linen. He held it to his bare chest for a moment, feeling the roughness of the fabric, but refrained from sniffing it. He carefully folded it into a small triangle and tucked it into his pocket.

Then he went to bed.

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Exhausted and still rather hungry, the trio flew on through the night, haggard, each lost in his or her own thoughts. Aang was still trying to figure out how Zuko had caught up with them; Sokka was wondering, with a bit of a snigger, why Zuko was hanging out in a bordello; and Katara – well, she had lots on her mind. 

Even so, the three decided not to speak. Katara didn't mention her doppelganger; Sokka didn't mention Zuko's association with the doppelganger; and Aang didn't mention anything about the bowl of fruit he'd managed to swipe from the suite before hopping onto Appa's back – that would be a surprise for later, when the dark mood had dissipated.

A silent pact was formed. No one spoke of that day, or what they saw, ever again. What happened in Madame Mai's Court of Joy stayed in Madame Mai's Court of Joy.

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No one disturbed the prince in the morning. When he woke up, it was close to noon. He bathed, found his armour had been cleaned, his clothes laundered and his ruined shirt replaced, and put them all on before exiting his room. 

The banister had not yet been repaired, leaving a gaping hole in the intricately carved woodworked railing, which felt oddly inviting to step through. Zuko walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, staring straight ahead, his lips pursed in a thin line. In the main courtyard, he met Iroh, calmly sipping a cup of jasmine tea.

"Are you ready to leave?" Zuko asked flatly.

Iroh nodded once and stood. The bill had been settled the night before.

The prince paced smoothly out the double doors. He did not look back for the Water girl with the bright blue eyes. He would never look at her again, if he could help it.

The two Fire Nation men descended the stairs, not saying one word to each other as they walked down to the harbour where the ship was moored. Everyone else had embarked from their shore leave, patiently awaiting the return of their leader. None of them greeted the stern looking Firebender as he boarded. No one bothered to wish him a happy birthday. And they didn't dare ask how his trip to the Court of Joy went.

They cast off, leaving the town behind them, and pointed the ship north.

Zuko stood at the prow, staring at the wide blue ocean, his mind blank and numb. He felt his uncle sidle up next to him, but the old man didn't say anything to break the teen's mood.

They stood like that for a long time, watching the horizon. The prince decided it would be best to simply forget yesterday had happened, and never go back to that port where he might be tempted to seek out Sienna's company.

No, never again. He had an Avatar to catch, his honour to restore, his throne to regain. No more distractions. But first…

"Uncle," Zuko croaked quietly. "Thank you for the birthday gift."

Retired General Iroh blinked. A small smile spread graced his lips.

"You're welcome."

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**THE END.**


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